By Kodjo Adams
Accra, July 30, GNA – President John Dramani Mahama has called on the National Labour Commission (NLC) to establish early warning systems to detect and address workplace tensions before they develop into industrial disputes.
He said the Commission should increasingly focus on preventing disputes through continuous engagement with employers, organised labour and sector regulators, rather than responding only after conflicts arise.
The President made the call in a speech read on his behalf at a stakeholders’ symposium on the theme: “Two Decades of the Work of the NLC: Lessons, Experiences, Challenges and the Way Forward.”
He said the Commission had contributed significantly to preserving industrial peace over the past two decades through mediation, negotiation, arbitration and conciliation, and urged it to strengthen that role by adopting a preventive approach.
The symposium was organised by the NLC as part of activities marking its 20th anniversary celebration.
President Mahama said the Commission must increasingly evolve from an institution of dispute settlement to one of dispute prevention.
“This distinction represents an entirely different philosophy of labour governance.
“In countries such as Singapore, labour-management relations have for decades been anchored in continuous dialogue through institutions such as the National Wages Council,” he said.
President Mahama said the Commission’s achievements had helped avert disruptions across key sectors of the economy.
“Through mediation, negotiation, arbitration and conciliation, many disputes have been resolved without escalating into prolonged disruption.
“Many conflicts that would have paralysed sectors of our economy were settled amicably around conference tables rather than across picket lines, and these achievements deserve our collective recognition,” he said.
The President said Australia had invested in workplace mediation, enterprise bargaining and preventive mechanisms that encouraged parties to resolve disagreements before they escalated into costly industrial action.
He said New Zealand’s employment relations framework was built on the statutory obligation of good faith, requiring employers and workers to engage openly, honestly and constructively throughout the employment relationship.
“These examples,” he said, “show that the world’s most successful labour systems
increasingly invest in conflict prevention rather than conflict management.”
President Mahama said the National Tripartite Committee had institutionalised the National Labour Conference as an annual platform to deepen dialogue on key social and economic issues of national importance.
The Government, he said, would continue to use the Conference to address challenges confronting the world of work while building consensus on policies and programmes aimed at transforming the economy.
President Mahama commended the Commission’s staff and stakeholders, past and present, for their contributions to its growth and performance.
“Despite its myriad of challenges, the Commission has distinguished itself in a manner that is worthy of commendation and emulation,” he said.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Sackey
Reporter: Kodjo Adams